Mahtava
Kingdom refers to a country ruled by either a king or queen and the Mahtavians aren’t so petty as to be upset by simple nomenclature. Is considered a matriarchal theocracy. The two roads into the kingdom are narrow and well defended. In the east, the overgrowth protects Mahtava, and in the west a mountain blocks all but a two mile pass near the coast. These defenses, along with the incredible organization and efficiency of the Mahtavians has lead to what most people perceive as an impenetrable kingdom. In fact, Mahtava has never been conquered. Men are second class citizens, who function essentially as slaves. They belong to the head of their household and will transfer to the next head of household when the first one dies. In times of war, every household offers up one of their men as soldiers. They make up most of the ground forces, but are armed only with shields and leather armor. Only women are permitted to wear metal armor and carry swords. Men with no families belong to the state, and most often fill the ranks of professional soldiers. As the only landmass connecting Eridon to the rest of the continent, and as the fastest way to transport goods from the south to the north, Mahtava has become the central trading hub of Arcadia. Jaka and Lyra are the major trading ports. Mahtava has been involved in various wars over the years. The black dragon on the flag represents the Black Dragon slain by the first Queen of Mahtava, according to legend. The Overgrowth A monstrously large forest on the eastern border of Mahtava. Trees are giant sequoias. Inhabited by a flightless green dragon named Xorathis who has corrupted hearts of the wood giants and who now serve her. Just north of the Overgrowth is hill giant territory, making entrance there by unwelcome people very difficult. Cork Mountain Named for the way it corks the western entrance to Mahtava. A lookout post sits atop the mountain, using alpahorns to signal the arrival of people. Different notes for different types of arrivals *Small caravan *Large caravan *Danger *Great Danger *Danger by north sea *Danger by south sea Cities *Jaka **Major port town in the north. Has tried many times to build a road through the swamp, but there are always problems. **Elevation: Sea level *Vistria *Zelenia **Capital city *Lyra **Major port town in the south. *Yunta **A dozen ballistas sit on the banks of the rivers pointing east to keep Xorathis at bay. **The Nuns of Velmontarious, an offshoot of a Caldonia organisation, has an Abby here. They secretly process the Orb of Imprisonment since 1509-10-28. Trellis & Fehana now live at this Abby. *Valara **Has a magical belltower that sounds whenever Xorathis comes within 1 mile of the town. **Has a large standing military that escorts wagons along the road. ***A few small ships with ballistas will sail along the coast near the road to provide support in case Xorathis arrives. ***Most ships avoid Valara and prefer to go to Lyra out of fear of the Overgrowth and its inhabitants Category:Arcadia Nations